Archive for February, 2007

converting indecipherable language into art

Small, it looks like a madras material – I think I’ve had a few shirts like that over the years. If you look at it fuller sized if you didn’t already click on the image, you will see symbols underneath the colors.

I went searching in the browser cache to see if I could retrieve an article which got lost/destroyed. I was not able to find it, but I did open something in a plain text editor which revealed these really interesting sideways, upside down, mirror imaged – what to me are nonsensical but beautiful symbols.

I don’t know if it is decipherable – and I am not sure I care, but I couldn’t resist copying and pasting to make the backdrop for a few abstract pieces …

watercolor transparency with digital overtones

Since this image is in the center of the blog banner, I thought I would feature it again. This piece shows off some of the digital nature of its inception.

Many people looking at my finished pieces think that they are watercolor – in many ways they have the characteristics. They are layered and the colors are somewhat translucent and that quality of water comes through.

But then again – there is just about always something which cannot be done using watercolor. And my position, is one of using what I have to express myself.

In the above digital painting, I used patterns as part of my paint on the strawberry mounds. And I think that is a bit of a digital give away.

drive by landscape – fields, sky, and texture

There is a spot which this is loosely based on – I drive by it fairly regularly and it has a good view of the valley extending to the Santa Lucia Mountains and Mount Toro.

Like a lot of my work, it is more of a drive by impression – I saw color, and a few barns or houses, a few trees – but mostly the colors of sky and fields.

This is not a piece which knocked me over when I was finished – I wasn’t really sure about it – but there are many things I like: the short field growth in the front, the way the cloud twists like a ribbon, and the beautiful texture in the green field.

My eyes and mind move around the landscape well – so I guess I did ok.

Like all but a couple of my pieces – I started with a blank page and painted and created the digital painting by the strokes of a mouse.

See Also

Big Valley 1 – another digital painting taken from an impression of pretty much the same spot

painting a scene one’s own

No it doesn’t look like this and yes it does look like this. A couple of days ago when the sun was setting I glimpsed the most magnificent sky over the mountains – I couldn’t really position myself correctly to see it fully, but I know…

The sky was streaked with pink. Portions of the clouds were incredibly bright white; and a blue sky was still apparent in places. I didn’t make this up, I just made it my own.

Like when a musician takes another person’s song and takes it to his own place; it is my goal as an artist to take a scene or portion of a scene and give a feeling and twist that only I would give it.

I am very pleased with this latest digital painting – hope it works for you too.

Happy Birthday

See Also

Valley Sketch – similar sky – not quite as intense but a good example of a somewhat similar piece

All Along the Watchtower – video form the Isle of Wight – Jimi Hendrix plays Dylan like it’s his own song – even if you are not a Hendrix fan, it is worth checking out the colorful outfit

Butterflydancing: Photo’s – site with the “magnificent sky” photo also has some other shots worth taking a gander at – pretty fun really

jazz painting revisited

Having strategically placing this piece in the new blog banner, I thought I would feature it again.

It was included for two reasons. First, I happen to feel like this is a strong piece – it reads well and is fun. There is the sense of flying sticks and it has the energy of music itself. And even small it is understandable.

Second, I wanted it to be obvious that this is also a site for music – it has not been the main focus but as I record more and get the podcast thing down – I anticipate this site becoming a fun place to listen as well as view.

In the course of my own developing creativity, I have found that art and music play off each other – and I in turn off them.

The Sea and the Digital Medium

Not sure how this will format, which is part of the reason for choosing this digital painting today.

This piece feels like a very long time ago – a different life time. It was an image out of my mind – and from another mixed media piece.

I just wanted to see how the sea might look using the digital medium. You may or may not notice, but every section of color is outlined in this piece. At the time I created this piece, I did not know how to control the thickness of the line, let alone the color, or how to have no line at all.

Featured piece for color, clouds, and warmth – banner afterthought

I created a new banner yesterday for my blog – the original was fine even though the dimensions of a couple of pieces were skewed. The art was part of the blog hosting and I didn’t care at the time.

But in creating a new banner, I was thinking about pieces I had featured on the home page of my website and ones which would look good small as well as give a good taste of what it is all about.

This piece was kind of an afterthought – in many ways it is not representative – the huge sun, the simple hilly dirt, yet the clouds, color of the sky,and color in general – is something I am quite happy with – this piece feels good – the colors are yummy, Fall-like, and the irrigation is playful.

Thought I would break the ice with this new blog category by sharing the precursor to the last digital painting I was able to blog about. I got to the point above and thought the piece might be complete.

Declaring a piece finished is no different for the digital medium than any other – but I have found that with digital art, I can create and save a number of different endings.

What struck me about the above stopping point was how pleasing the textures looked and how balanced in the degree it was worked.

The rawness reminds me of a woodblock print or a monoprint. And though I wasn’t done, I like the way this piece looks and feels – enough so to save and share.